Cosenza

A few weeks ago, the Saturday morning Alyssa left, Michael and I headed off to visit the last mission city on his list. Cosenza is in Calabria (southern Italy). We left early saturday and arrived around lunch time. We checked into our hotel (the only hotel we are staying in on the whole trip) and immediately tooks some naps.

Then we were off to see some of the city. Michael showed me his old apartment, and we went to find out what time church started.

Then we walked around the town center and ate some delicious cornetti. For dinner we happened upon this tiny little pizza place with a wood burning oven. We got 2 pizzas for super cheap and they were delicious. Then we headed back to the hotel and thuroughly enjoyed an evening of movies and air conditioning!

Sunday we went to Michael's old branch and he had such a fun time seeing everyone.

After church one of Michael's favorite members invited us for dinner. We had a great time, and the food was delicious. She served us every Italian course. We were about to POP by the time we got to dessert.

After dinner we hopped on the train and headed back to Rome. Even though it was a short trip to Cosenza we had a great time.

The Vatican and a Surprise Visit

A few weeks ago (I'm so behind in my blogging!) one of my best friends, Alyssa, came to visit us for a few days here in Rome. Her husband works for Delta so on a Monday she emails me saying she wants to come visit and will arrive Wednesday morning! That lucky girl even ended up in FIRST CLASS! Even though she was only here for 3 days, it was so fun taking her around the city and to all the sites.

Since Michael and I hadn't gone to see the Vatican yet, we all went together. It was incredible. If it didn't cost 20 Euros each, we'd do it again.

In the beginning you spend your time walking through the Vatican museums. There were tons of amazing statues and artwork. My favorite were the Raphael rooms, specifically the School of Athens fresco.

I loved seeing the Sistene chapel. We had previously downlaoded a free audio tour so we hung out in there for a while listening to the history of Michaelangelo and his work.

Lastly we walked through St. Peter's Basilica. It was HUGE, and grandiose. With tons of gold everywhere. The whole thing felt very gaudy to me, but was impressive nonetheless.

At the very end we got to see Michaelangelo's Pieta. So amazing.

Loved the Vatican and loved hanging out with Alyssa. More blog posts to come!!! (I'm really behind)

Malta

Two weeks ago, we flew from Rome to the tiny island of Malta. Michael served on this island for about 6 months. The people in Malta primarily speak Maltese, which is very similar to Arabic, but their second language is English. The Italian elders just speak english when they are serving in Malta.

Using our favorite accomodations site, Airbnb, we ended up renting a room from this super nice guy named Hans. He's Danish and retired to Malta about 6 years ago. He picked us up from the airport which was super nice of him. His apartment was right near Mellieha Bay near the north end of the island. Michael and I decided the best way to see all of Malta was by scooter. It was sooooo fun! We had a blast riding all around the island. Michael would drive and I would navigate with my iPhone. It was so convenient and we got to see everything we wanted to see. 

Saturday, we started off at the beach. Then we went to see Michael's old apartment and find out what time church started. 

This is the Mostra Dome. A gorgeous Maltese church. 

Saturday night we headed up to the beautiful city of Valletta. We ate dinner up there and walked around a lot. We went to this beautiful garden that overlooked the bay. 

It was unusually chili at night while we were in Malta so Michael had to buy a sweatshirt to wear when driving the scooter. He clearly loves Malta. Notice the interesting window boxes that come out from the apartments. They are a unique part of Maltese architecture. 

Sunday, we started the day off at church. We were able to coordinate being in Malta the same weekend as the Eagers, one of Michael's favorite senior missionary couples. After church we did some site seeing with the Eagers. We went to the blue grotto, which is in the south western part of the island. 

     

Then we visited Mdina. Mdina is a medieval walled town situated on a hill in the center of the island. 

 

That night our awesome host, Hans, offered to make us dinner and eat on his rooftop. Hans is the coolest guy. We had a blast eating dinner with him and watching the sun set. Hans even insisted Michael wear his Mitt Romney hat for dinner :)

Monday we headed back over to Valetta to see the grand harbor and walk around some more. We got lunch at a little pastizzeria which was delicious and super cheap. 

  

Recognize the clock tower from The Count of Monte Cristo?

Most of the movie was filmed in Malta. 

After Valetta, it was time to drop off the scooter. We stopped at the beach one more time then went back to Han's to pack. 

Overall we had a great time in Malta! The beaches are gorgeous and Valletta is a beautiful city.